Amy Weidner murder: Bringing a killer to justice

A Hard-working Student

In 1989, Amy Weidner attended Howe High School in Indianapolis. Her French teacher, Jody George, said, "She was just a very strong student. I think the most important thing about her was her work ethic."

Home alone

On Nov. 13, 1989, Amy Weidner wasn't feeling well and stayed home from school along with her 2-year-old daughter, Emily. Her mother, Gloria, called to check on her and got no answer. She asked a neighbor to knock on the door; still no answer.

A Mother's Worst Nightmare

The Key Evidence

Amy Weidner's killer left a bloody handprint on her bedroom wall. Police later cut the section containing the print out of the wall and saved it along with other evidence, including Amy's bedding, which contained trace DNA.

Robbery Gone Wrong?

Police believed Amy Weidner's murder was a result of a robbery gone wrong. A graphic equalizer, a type of stereo equipment belonging to Amy's older brother, John Paul, and some cash were missing from the house.

A New Normal

The Case Grows Cold

Years went by with no arrests. Lt. Roger Spurgeon, at the time head of IMPD cold case unit, would check into sporadic leads. "It was really difficult to figure out who the suspects might most likely be," he said. Spurgeon soon moved onto a new job.

The Facebook Connection

In 2011, a friend of Amy Weidner created a memorial page on Facebook. The cold case detective assigned to Amy's murder wasn't familiar with Facebook, and asked nuisance abatement officer Det. Sgt. William Carter to print the page.

A Match

Det. Sgt. Carter had the police Latent Prints department compare Rodney Denk's 1997 print with the bloody hand print from Amy Weidner's bedroom wall. It was a match. Carter had his man, now he just had to find him.

Suspect in Custody

Rodney Denk had rented a car equipped with OnStar, which police used to track him. Lt. Roger Spurgeon says when officers found Denk, "He made a statement, something to the effect of 'I didn't do it' and he had a knife that he cut his wrist with."

An Unusual Interrogation

Rodney Denk was taken to Wishard Hospital, where he spoke with police and admitted to the assault. "I didn't know she was in there. I was in John Paul's room, take the radio and she came around the corner and I hit her in the head," he said.

An Unlikely Hero

Det. Sgt. Bill Carter was honored at a press conference announcing the arrest of Rodney Denk. While it had been a year since he'd been asked to look at the Facebook page, he had spent just 12 days actively questioning people about the case.

Father-Son Connection

In a bizarre coincidence, police learned that Rodney's son, Dillon Denk, was also in prison, serving 20 years for killing his mother, and Rodney's ex-wife, Mary McHenry. McHenry had allegedly been abusive to Dillon, and he killed her when he was 16, just one year younger than Rodney was at the time of Amy Weidner's murder.